Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
CRIMINAL DIVISION
UNITED STATES,
Defendants.
Dylan Ward, Joseph Price and Victor Zaborsky, (collectively the “Defendants”) by and
through undersigned counsel, respectfully submit the following memorandum of points and
authorities in support of their Joint Motion to Compel the Government to Produce Discovery. 1
BACKGROUND
The police investigation into Robert Wone’s death commenced on August 2, 2006, when
the Defendants found Mr. Wone fatally stabbed inside of their home at 1509 Swann Street, N.W.
and they called 911. More than two years later, the Defendants were indicted in connection with
Mr. Wone’s death. They were not, however, charged with killing Mr. Wone. Instead, they were
charged with conspiring to obstruct and obstructing justice, and tampering with evidence.
1
Pursuant to Rule 16-II of the Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure, undersigned counsel
certifies that they have made a bona fide attempt to secure the relief requested in this motion
from the Government on a voluntary basis and that the Government has not complied with that
request.
During its two and a half year investigation, the government has generated an enormous
amount of discoverable evidence. In its search for the killer, for example, the government:
• relied on the investigative work of dozens of law enforcement officers with the
Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (“FBI”);
• seized hundreds of items from the Defendants’ home, cutup hardwood floors,
removed stairs, and took sink drain traps and other parts of the house;
• took hundreds of finger and palm prints from the inside and outside of 1509
Swann Street, N.W.;
• applied chemicals to the Defendants’ home “in a manner not intended by the
manufacturer” in an attempt to locate forensic evidence, causing hundreds of
thousands of dollars in damage;
• obtained many pages of medical and other personal records relating to the
decedent from the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency
Medical Services (“EMS”), George Washington University Hospital, and
elsewhere;
• obtained computer hard drives, phone records, electronic data and thousands of e-
mails and electronic documents relating to the Defendants and Mr. Wone, which
constitute thousands of pages; and
Immediately after they were indicted, the Defendants – individually and collectively –
requested that the government produce the evidence that supports its theory that the Defendants
somehow sought to impede the investigation into Mr. Wone’s as yet unsolved murder. Since
November, 2008, the Defendants served on the government a total of twenty letters requesting
2
specific discovery, conducted discovery conferences with government counsel, and viewed
Notwithstanding these many requests, as of the date of this Motion, the government has
produced only a portion of the requested discovery. Most troubling is that government counsel
has: (1) not produced evidence obviously in its possession and discoverable pursuant to Super.
Ct. Crim. Rule 16; (2) failed to identify the critical experts upon which its case is based; and (3)
As discussed in more detail below, and as highlighted in the Discovery Chart attached
hereto as Exhibit A, there is significant evidence in the possession of the government that should
ARGUMENT
Exhibit A summarizes the twenty letters requesting specific discovery made by the
Defendants to the government during the past four months which remain outstanding as of the
After Mr. Wone’s body was discovered, the Defendants called 911. A team of
emergency medical responders and law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene and spoke to
the Defendants. The Defendants were then separated and interviewed by members of the
2
Exhibits B, C and D, respectively, comprise all discovery letters served by each Defendant on
AUSA Kirschner from November 21, 2008, through March 19, 2009.
3
Now charged with conspiring to obstruct and obstructing justice – in part by lying to the
police 3 – the Defendants are absolutely entitled to know the full scope of all statements made to
members of law enforcement and government personnel. The Defendants’ discovery requests 1
through 10 4 seek the Defendants’ statements pursuant to Rule 16(a)(1)(A). The government
should be compelled to produce all such statements and to produce unredacted versions of notes
regarding the Defendants’ statements that have been produced in redacted form. See Def. Req. 1
and 5.
This court is well aware that Super. Ct. Crim. R. 16(a)(1)(A) requires production of:
the Defendants, whether or not the government intends to use the statements at trial.
3
In relevant part, the Indictment identifies as overt acts of the conspiracy that the Defendants
“made statements to law enforcement authorities that were false in material respects and
intended to misdirect and mislead law enforcement authorities into believing that an unknown
intruder had, in fact, killed Robert Wone.” Superseding Indictment ¶¶ 13, 15-16.
4
References to Defendants’ discovery requests refer to the numbered request on Exhibit A
(hereafter “Def. Req.”).
5
For purposes of Rule 16, the government “possesses” all evidence in the hands of its
investigative and custodial agencies. See United States v. Bryant, 439 F.2d 642, 650 (D.C. Cir.
1971); United States v. Butler, 499 F.2d 1006, 1008 (D.C. Cir. 1974); Robinson v. United States,
825 A.2d 318, 328 (D.C. 2003) (Court of Appeals held that the United States Attorney’s Office
was in possession of a phone call recorded by the D.C. Department of Corrections, and that the
government had an obligation to preserve that statement for trial).
4
The government must also disclose to the defendant the substance of any other
relevant oral statement made by the defendant whether before or after arrest in
response to interrogation by any person then known by the defendant to be a
government agent if the government intends to use that statement at trial.
“Relevance” as used in Rule 16 is to be broadly interpreted because the government cannot and
Rule 16(a)(1)(A) can fully serve its intended purpose only if the Government
takes a broad view of what is relevant for purposes of that provision. We believe
the Government should disclose any statement made by the defendant that may be
relevant to any possible defense or contention that the defendant might assert.
Ordinarily, a statement made by the defendant during the course of the
investigation of the crime charged should be presumed to be subject to disclosure,
unless it is clear that the statement cannot be relevant. Where the Government is
in doubt, the written or recorded statement should be disclosed, if a proper request
is made.
United States v. Bailleaux, 685 F.2d 1105, 1114 (9th Cir. 1982).
For purposes of Rule 16, “statements” is to be broadly construed and has been found to
encompass not just verbatim and contemporaneous statements, see United States v. Elife, 43
F.R.D. 23 (S.D.N.Y. 1967), but also a wide range of other “statements,” including: statements
that reproduce the defendant’s exact words, see United States v. Armantrout, 278 F. Supp. 517
(S.D.N.Y. 1968); summaries of the substance of a defendant’s statement, see United States v.
Scharf, 267 F. Supp. 19 (S.D.N.Y. 1967); written summaries of the defendant’s oral statements,
see United States v. Johnson, 525 F.2d 999 (2d Cir. 1975), United States v. Morrison, 43 F.R.D.
516 (N.D. Ill. 1967); statements discovered by means of electronic surveillance, see United
States v. Black, 282 F. Supp. 35 (D.D.C. 1968); any statement, letter, or other document written
by the defendant, regardless of the time it was made or audience for which it was intended, see,
e.g., United States v. Caldwell, 543 F.2d 1333, 1352 (D.C. Cir. 1974) (finding post-arrest
transcribed, tape recorded, or videotaped statement by the defendant, regardless of the time it
5
was made or its intended audience, see, e.g., United States v. Bufalino, 576 F.2d 446, 449 (2d
Cir. 1978), United States v. James, 495 F.2d 434, 435-36 (5th Cir. 1974), United States v.
Sherwood, 527 F. Supp. 1001, 1003 (W.D.N.Y 1981), aff’d without opinion, 732 F.2d 142 (2d
Cir. 1984); and law enforcement officers’ written reports or notes summarizing or otherwise
recording the defendant’s oral statements to law enforcement officers, see, e.g., United States v.
Harris, 543 F.2d 1247, 1252-53 (9th Cir. 1976) (finding original interview notes discoverable
especially when given by the accused), United States v. Johnson, 525 F.2d 999, 1004 (2d Cir.
1975) (holding that written summaries as well as statements copied verbatim are discoverable);
United States v. Lewis, 511 F.2d 798, 802 (D.C. Cir. 1975) (the defendant’s oral statements
communicated to police are discoverable), United States v. Jefferson, 445 F.2d 247, 250 (D.C.
Cir. 1971) (allowing discovery of police officer’s handwritten notes), United States v. Egan, 501
F. Supp. 1252, 1264 (S.D.N.Y. 1980) (holding that any rough notes or copies of such from law
Defendants’ statements must be disclosed even if a statement has not been recorded or reduced
to writing and even if it is intended only to be used in rebuttal. See United States v. Lewis, 511
F.2d 798, 801 (D.C. Cir. 1975). Moreover, the “substance” of a statement can “include what it
does not say as well as what it says”— that is, if the government intends to impeach the
defendant with an omission, the omission is part of the “substance” and must be disclosed. See
Yoon v. United States, 594 A.2d 1056, 1060-61 (D.C. 1991). 6 Moreover, the government must
6
In Yoon, after the government rested its case, the prosecutor disclosed that the appellant had
spoken with the police on the scene of the shooting at issue and had not mentioned the defense’s
contention at trial that the decedent possessed a gun. This statement was discoverable under
Rule 16, even though the prosecutor intended to use it only if the defendant testified, and the
failure to disclose caused substantial prejudice. Id. at 1060, 1064.
6
disclose the substance “accurately and unambiguously” and in sufficient detail to prevent unfair
surprise at trial. See Smith v. United States, 491 A.2d 1144, 1147 (D.C. 1985).
• failed to produce all notes of statements made by the Defendants during what
collectively was more than 25 hours of interrogation on August 2 and August 3,
2006;
These statements, and the others listed on Exhibit A, Def. Req. 1 - 10 are critically
important to the Defendants in preparing for trial, and are undeniably in the control of the
government. In addition, the government has not produced any of the defendants’ statements
that the government intends to use as co-conspirator statements made in the course of the alleged
conspiracy. Pursuant to the express provisions of Rule 16(a)(1)(A), the government should be
required to promptly and fully produce, in non-redacted form, all of the Defendants’ statements.
7
D.C. Super. Ct. Crim. R. 16(a)(1)(C) requires that:
upon request of the defendant the prosecutor shall permit the defendant to inspect
and copy or photograph books, papers, documents, photographs, tangible objects,
buildings or places, or copies or portions thereof, which are within the possession,
custody or control of the government and which are [1] material to the preparation
of the defendant’s defense, [2] or are intended for use by the government as
evidence in chief at the trial or [3] were obtained from or belong to the defendant.
As a threshold matter, Def. Req. 11 - 17 relate to documents which were either partially
produced, are redacted or are illegible. The Defendants have requested complete, legible non-
redacted copies. The government has failed to make any response to the Defendants’ requests.
the defense case or “if there is a strong indication that it will play an important role in uncovering
impeachment and rebuttal.” United States v. Felt, 491 F. Supp. 179, 186 (D.D.C. 1979). To be
“material,” evidence need not be exculpatory or even favorable. As the D.C. Circuit has
explained, “[t]he rule as written does not compel the conclusion that inculpatory evidence is
immune from disclosure. Inculpatory evidence, after all, is just as likely to assist in ‘the
(Marshall II), 132 F.3d 63, 67 (D.C. Cir. 1998) (rejecting the government’s argument that
Because it “may be difficult for defendant to make [the materiality] showing if he does not know
what the evidence is,” 7 courts require the defense to make only a prima facie showing of
materiality to obtain discovery. See (Adrian) Wiggins, 386 A.2d 1171, 1178 (D.C. 1978)
7
D.C. Super. Ct. Cr. R. 16(a)(1)(C) advisory committee’s note.
8
(Ferren, J., concurring); see also C. Wright, 2 Federal Practice and Procedure, Criminal 254 at
As discussed below, Def. Req. 18 - 47 are all made pursuant to prong one of Rule
16(a)(1)(C) as they are material to the Defendants’ preparation of their defense. Many of the
items are material for the same reasons and therefore they are grouped for purposes of analysis.
Def. Req. 18 - 20, relate to the medical care provided to Mr. Wone on August 2 - 3,
2006, and to his medical history. These items are plainly material to the Defendants’ defense as
they bear directly on the nature of Mr. Wone’s injuries and the government’s claims that Mr.
Wone was chemically incapacitated, sexually assaulted, and stabbed. See Aff. at 12; H’rg Tr.
Def. Req. 21 - 43 relate to Mr. Wone’s activities and communications in the days leading
up to and on August 2, 2006. Reconstructing Mr. Wone’s activities and communications during
this period is critical to the Defendants’ defense and, among other things, is pivotal in
establishing how Mr. Wone came to be staying at the Defendants’ home, the nature of his
relationship with the Defendants, and the timeline of events leading to, and after, his arrival at
On or about October 31, 2006, 1509 Swann St. (which was uninhabitable at that time due
to extensive damage done to the structure by MPD during its “evidence” collection) was the
subject of a burglary. The Defendant’s brother, Michael Price and Michael Price’s friend, Phelps
Collins, were charged by the United States Attorney’s Office for the burglary, though the case
9
was ultimately dismissed. The MPD detectives in charge of the Wone homicide investigation
questioned Mr. Collins, and AUSA Kirschner questioned both Mr. Ward and Mr. Zaborsky
about the burglary. The government suggested to the Defendants that the burglary may be
connected to Mr. Wone’s death. Accordingly, Def. Req. 44 - 47, relate to evidence and
information obtained by the government regarding the burglary. This information may provide
leads to potential witnesses or information that may allow the Defendants to develop exculpatory
evidence. Consequently, it is material to the Defendants’ preparation of their defense and should
The final prong of Rule 16(a)(1)(C) requires the government to produce items “obtained
from or belong[ing] to the defendant.” Def. Req. 48 - 61 were all obtained from or belong to the
Defendants and therefore the government should be compelled to produce the requested items
In each of their initial discovery letters, the Defendants informed the government that
“the crime scene processing and the forensic reports are critical to the defense in this case,” 8 and
that the Defendants have learned that “the search and subsequent extraction of possible blood
and trace evidence may have been compromised during the search at 1509 Swann Street.”
sought all crime scene reports including the nature of the tests that were conducted at 1509
Swann Street, what tests were attempted and failed, and why those tests failed. See Def. Req. 65.
8
See Letter from Schertler to Kirschner 1 (Dec. 1, 2008). See also Letter from Grimm to
Kirschner 1 (Nov. 21, 2008); Letter from Connolly to Kirschner 1 (Dec. 1, 2008).
10
Rule 16(a)(1)(D) entitles the Defendants to this information, as it expressly permits the defense
to:
In response to the Defendants’ requests, the government indicated that 280 items were
seized for testing. However, as of the date of this motion, the government:
• failed to provide testing results for item numbers 1-12, 32, 33, 39-46, 70-72, 74,
75, 77, 79-111, 158-159, 164-166, 168, 189-198, 200, 201, 203, 204, 206-211,
214, 215, 217-223, 225-227, 230-231, 236, 239-240, 243-262, 266, 267, 269, 272,
273, 274-278;
• provided only three examination results or reports in connection with the finger
and palm prints collected at 1509 Swann Street;
• failed to identify where, exactly, these prints were found in 1509 Swann Street,
including one print that was located somewhere in the room in which Mr. Wone
was stabbed, and that the government has verbally reported is not a print
belonging to Mr. Wone, Mr. Price, Mr. Ward or Mr. Zaborsky; and
• failed to indicate whether the government did elimination testing for various hairs
recovered from 1509 Swann St., including a hair determined not to be that of Mr.
Wone, Mr. Price, Mr. Ward or Mr. Zaborsky, that was found on top of the sheet
next to were Mr. Wone was found stabbed.
9
While Rule 16(a)(1)(D) applies to final reports, working drafts and rough notes may be
discovered under the Jencks Act. See Waldron v. United States, 370 A.2d 1372, 1373 (D.C.
1977). There is no work-product exception under Rule 16(a)(1)(D).
11
Given the nature of the allegations in this case, the Defendants are absolutely entitled to this
evidence. The results of forensic tests performed on the scene, and on evidence recovered from
the scene, are critically important to the defense. This evidence has been in the possession of the
government for more than two and a half years and should be produced to the defense
immediately.
Although the Defendants are not charged in the indictment with any crime against Robert
Wone, the government has publicly alleged that the Defendants tortured and sexually assaulted
Mr. Wone. The government repeated these allegations to the press and in statements to this
Court, most recently on December 19, 2008, when AUSA Kirschner stated, in front of a gallery
packed with press and Mr. Wone’s family, that “we have an innocent victim who was over
prolonged period time [sic] – when I say prolonged, an hour perhaps, was tortured, was
incapacitated, was sexually suffocated, was sexually abused, . . . .” and that “there was an
ejaculation that occurred and the Government has now, courtesy of experts, learned a lot more
about electro-ejaculation than frankly this counsel ever knew. And there was, indeed, an
electrocution unit . . . that can produce electric ejaculation of a person who is under anesthetic or
otherwise incapacitated. . . . [I]t requires an electrocution unit and a metal, anal prod which was
also recovered . . . . He [Wone] was then allowed to lie there, dying, and digesting his own
blood for a considerable period of time, according to the experts.” H’rg Tr. 30:24 – 31:15 (Dec.
10
Attached at Exhibit E.
12
Upon learning that the government was alleging that Mr. Wone had been sexually
assaulted before his death – and upon receiving the autopsy report which finds that Mr. Wone
suffered no injuries nor had any physical signs consistent with a sexual assault – the Defendants
immediately requested the evidence in the government’s possession that supported this
• all notes, information, reports, examination results and materials related to the
“sexual assault” examination conducted by Dr. Goslinoski, who performed Mr.
Wone’s autopsy, including but not limited to: the identity of each person in
addition to Dr. Goslinoski who was involved with the “sexual assault” exam of
Mr. Wone and all notes taken during or relating to the exam;
• all documentation, test results and paper work associated with both Sexual
Assault Kit #000418 (identified in Wone’s Autopsy Report at 2) and Item # NE2
labeled “Assault kit paperwork” which the government provided to the FBI;
• the exact location on Mr. Wone where each of the swabs was used to collect a
sample;
• the results of all tests and examinations for DNA, hair, fibers or other analysis
related to the sexual assault examination;
• any and all reports or examinations concerning Mr. Wone’s alleged torture, sexual
abuse, and sexual suffocation;
• any and all reports relating to a “metal anal prod,” or any electro-ejaculation
device, that was purportedly used on Mr. Wone;
• any and all reports relating to testing of sexual aids seized from 1509 Swann
Street, N.W.;
• the item number of the electrical device allegedly inserted in Mr. Wone’s anus,
any trace evidence contained on that electrical device which supports the opinion
that it was inserted in Mr. Wone’s anus, and any related reports;
• all photos taken in connection with the sexual assault examination; and
• access to the swabs used for the sexual assault exam which defense counsel
believes to be Q219 – Q245.
13
Other than a single report from the FBI Crime Lab dated November 24, 2008, stating the
results of testing on some of the samples collected in the sexual assault exam (and referencing a
host of communications and related reports that have not been produced), 11 the government
produced nothing in response to these legitimate, logical and specific requests and has not
permitted the Defendants and their experts access to the swabs used in the sexual assault
The potential prejudice to the Defendants caused by the government’s delay could be
substantial. The Defendants must decide, pursuant to the Innocence Protection Act, whether to
undertake independent forensic examination of these numerous items in preparation for trial.
That decision rests – in significant part – on the results of the government’s testing and whether
it intends to seek to prove at trial that Mr. Wone was in fact sexually assaulted.
In the weeks following Robert Wone’s death, the Metropolitan Police Department spent
countless hours – more than 20 days in fact – inside of 1509 Swann Street, N.W., processing the
scene and collecting evidence. In addition to seizing hundreds of items, taking hundreds of
finger and palm prints from the inside and outside of the house, cutting out sections of wall,
sawing out numerous sections of the hardwood floors, and taking drain traps and other parts of
the house, the police used chemicals, including a chemical known as Ashley’s Reagent,
11
See Def. Req. 73 videotape or other audiovisual recording of canine searches of 1509 Swann
St., N.W.; the training history of the dogs and their handlers’ training histories; performance
histories of the dogs; and certifications.
12
Of course, if no tests were done on any of these items, the government should be required to
disclose that information, as well.
14
When the Defendants were allowed back inside, they were stunned to find virtually every
room of the house permanently stained with chemicals. The Defendants assume that these
chemicals were used by the police in an attempt to find the presence of blood or other bodily
fluids.
Because of the reckless use of the chemicals, the Defendants asked the government
specifically about its application. The sum total of the government’s response was buried in the
government’s February 9, 2009, letter to defense counsel in which AUSA Kirschner wrote “[i]t
has been determined that the Ashley’s Reagent was used in a manner not intended by the
In an effort to understand the meaning of this important, but vague, disclosure, the
• an explanation of precisely how the Ashley’s Reagent was used, what the
manufacturer’s intended use is, and how the use of the Ashley’s Reagent in this
case deviated from the manufacturer’s intended use;
• any and all ramifications of the use of Ashley’s Reagent in this case, including
whether the misuse of Ashley’s Reagent had the potential to corrupt, compromise,
destroy or otherwise alter any evidence; and
• notice of any and all relevant information as to whether, as part of the processing
of the crime scene at 1509 Swann St., and any examination or testing thereafter by
MPD of the FBI, any other testing agent or testing process was misapplied or
misused.
Despite the Defendant’s request for more specific information, the government’s silence has
been deafening.
15
The importance of this evidence cannot be overstated. The government has been unable
to identify and apprehend Mr. Wone’s killer and instead accuses the Defendants of knowing
more than they have told the police. The government bases its claim, as described in the
Affidavit in support of the arrest warrants, on the absence of evidence to suggest that an intruder
killed Robert Wone. That “absence of evidence” includes no evidence of blood or DNA
belonging to Mr. Wone anywhere in the house, except on the bed adjacent to the decedent’s
body. Indeed, as reported by the government every one of the dozens of items that were
removed from 1509 Swann St. on the basis of being “presumptively positive” for blood
according to preliminary tests, ultimately was determined not to contain any traces of blood, at
all.
The government’s cryptic disclosure that “Ashley’s Reagent was used in a manner not
intended by the manufacturer of that product” may in fact mean that critically important evidence
immediately.
D. Expert Witnesses
Rule 16(a)(1)(E) entitles the defense to “a written summary of the testimony of any
expert witness that the government intends to use during its case-in-chief at trial.” The summary
provided must describe the witnesses’ opinions, the bases and the reasons for those opinions, and
the witnesses’ qualifications. It is well established that Rule 16(a)(1)(E) “is intended to
minimize surprise that often results from unexpected expert testimony, reduce the need for
continuances, and to provide the opponent with a fair opportunity to test the merit of the expert’s
testimony through focused cross-examination.” Ferguson v. United States, 866 A.2d 54 (D.C.
16
2005) (finding a violation of Rule 16(a)(1)(E) by the government’s vague “written summary” of
the testimony and basis and opinion of the proposed expert testimony).
The Defendants have been asking for more than four months for the government’s expert
disclosures pursuant to Rule 16(a)(1)(E). See Def. Req. 74,75. On March 11, 2009, the
government finally produced a single expert report—the report of the government’s purported
blood spatter expert. Other than this report, the government has provided no expert disclosures.
The government’s delay is perplexing not only in light of the fact that the government has had
more than two and half years to prepare its case, but also given the government’s frequent – and
public – statements to this Court and defense counsel that the government has lined up and
consulted with a variety of expert witnesses. AUSA Kirschner’s aforementioned December 19,
2008, statement to this Court that Mr. Wone “was then allowed to lie there, dying, and digesting
his own blood for a considerable period of time, according to the experts,” is one recent
The government should not be permitted to delay any further and should be required to
promptly and fully produce its expert disclosures pursuant to Rule 16(a)(1)(E).
The Defendants have repeatedly asked the government to identify any uncharged
misconduct, and in particular all Drew and Toliver information regarding any alleged prior bad
act or inextricably linked activity, including exact time and place of occurrence, concerning or
relating to any and all alleged torture, sexual abuse, sexual suffocation, or use of any “electro-
13
Attached at Exhibit E to Defendants’ Joint Motion to Compel.
17
ejaculation” device. See Def. Req. 76, 77. The government has produced nothing. On February
26 and 27, 2009, defense counsel met with AUSA Kirschner and verbally repeated the requests.
AUSA Kirschner indicated that he did not have evidence of any uncharged misconduct. Based
on this statement the Defendants understand that the government will not be seeking to introduce
evidence of uncharged misconduct relating to any of the Defendants during the course of the
trial.
AUSA Kirschner did state, however, that the government had evidence of “other sexual
conduct” that he intends to introduce. Defense counsel verbally and in writing requested that the
government produce evidence of this “sexual conduct.” Like so many of the other requests made
by the Defendants, this one has gone unanswered. Evidence of sexual conduct of the
Defendants, like evidence of uncharged misconduct, is both not relevant and likely highly
prejudicial. The Defendants are entitled to know – in advance – what purported evidence of
sexual conduct the government intends to attempt to introduce in sufficient time to allow for the
filing of the appropriate motion in limine. See, e.g., D.C. Code § 22-3022.
B. Brady Requests
Pursuant to the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brady v. Maryland,
373 U.S. 83 (1963), all the Defendants have made general Brady requests, and a total of twenty-
It is well established that Brady and its progeny require the government disclose to the
defense, upon request, any evidence in its possession that is both favorable and material to guilt
or punishment, at a time sufficient for it to be used for trial. The duty arises from the Due
Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment and is separate from and independent of any discovery
18
under the Jencks Act, or the rules of criminal procedure. Failure to disclose such favorable
evidence, regardless of the good or bad faith of the prosecutor, is a violation of Due Process.
The obligation of the prosecutor pursuant to Brady is to disclose any evidence that is both
favorable and material to either guilt or punishment. Evidence is material, and constitutional
error results from its suppression by the government, “if there is a reasonable probability that,
had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been
different.” United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985). Material evidence includes both
evidence that is directly exculpatory and impeachment evidence. Id. at 676-77. As the Supreme
Court has repeatedly recognized, “materiality” remains “an inevitably imprecise standard.”
United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 108 (1976). Consequently, “and because the significance
of an item of evidence can seldom be predicted accurately until the entire record is complete, the
prudent prosecutor will resolve doubtful questions in favor of disclosure.” Id. Prosecutors are
not allowed to withhold potentially exculpatory information simply because they personally do
not believe the evidence to be creditable. Otherwise, "prosecutors might, on a claim that they
thought it unreliable, refuse to produce any matter whatever helpful to the defense, thus setting
Brady at nought.” Bell v. Haley, No. Civ.A.2:95CV913-T, 2005 WL 1242359, *31 (M.D.Ala.
It is also well established that Brady requires production of not only any exculpatory,
material evidence personally known by the prosecutor, or in his or her personal possession, but
also evidence held by other agencies acting on behalf of the government, such as law
19
enforcement agencies. See Farley v. United States, 694 A.2d 887, 890 (D.C. 1997) (“the
As previously noted, the government has had more than two and a half years to prepare
its case. It received the Defendants’ Brady requests over four months ago, yet, to date the
government has failed to respond – at all – to any of the Defendants’ Brady requests.
It is critical to the Defendants’ preparation of their case that the government be required
to promptly and fully produce any Brady material in its, MPD’s or the FBI’s possession,
including but not limited to all of the material sought in the Defendants’ specific Brady requests.
See Def. Req. 79 – 102. Indeed, the “prosecution must disclose exculpatory material ‘at such
time as to allow the defense to use the favorable material effectively in the preparation and
presentation of its case.’” Edelen v. United States, 627 A.2d 968, 970 (D.C. 1993) (quoting
United States v. Pollack, 534 F.2d 964, 973 (D.C. Cir 1976)). Information that would require
more than a cursory investigation must be disclosed prior to trial and here, where many of the
Defendants’ discovery requests relate to forensic testing and processing that will require review
and examination by the Defendants’ own forensic experts, time is of the essence.
Since the Court’s decision in Brady, courts interpreting and enforcing Brady¸ as well as
the legal profession’s regulatory authorities and bodies, have all universally expressed the
propriety of and need for early disclosure of Brady material. In Ebron v. United States, the Court
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See also Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419 (1995) (prosecutor’s claim that much of the
undisclosed exculpatory evidence was not disclosed to him by the police is irrelevant; the
knowledge of the police is imputed to the prosecution); Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150
(1972) (witness denied promise of lenience by another prosecutor, of which examining
prosecutor did not know; promise was within government’s knowledge, so non-disclosure
required reversal); Lewis v. United States, 393 A.2d 109 (D.C. 1978) (if criminal record of the
government’s witness was readily accessible to the prosecution, prosecutor’s personal ignorance
of that record is irrelevant: government is deemed to know all prior convictions that are listed in
government records accessible to the prosecution. Government is deemed to have knowledge of
information in files of MPD and FBI.)
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of Appeals articulated this principle, holding that “prosecutors are expected to resolve all
reasonable uncertainty about the potential materiality of exculpatory evidence in favor of prompt
disclosure . . . When the government fails to make prompt disclosure, as required, the
opportunity for use of the material by the defense may be impaired, and the administration of
justice may be impeded by the necessity for a continuance to allow the defense to make use of
the material or by the need for reversal of a conviction.” 838 A.2d 1140, 1156 n.13 (D.C. 2003)
(internal quotations and citations omitted). Similarly, in its more recent decision in Sykes v.
United States, 897 A.2d 769 (D.C. 2006), the Court reversed the defendant’s murder convictions
very tardy disclosure of Mr. Parrott’s and Mr. Sellers’ grand jury appearance, approximately one
year after that testimony, not only constituted a Brady violation, but also deprived the defense,
pre-trial, of information that was potentially exculpatory, and favorable at least because of its
potential negative impact on the testimony of a key government witness, Mr. Williams.” Id. at
780. In so holding, the Court noted: “Moreover, ‘a prosecutor’s timely disclosure obligation
with respect to Brady material can never be overemphasized,” and the practice of delayed
production must be disapproved and discouraged.” Id. at 777 (quoting Curry v. United States,
658 A.2d 193, 197 (D.C. 1995). See also ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, 11-2.1(c), 11-2.2
(a) (2d. ed. 1980) (disclosure “as soon as practicable following the filing of charges”); 3-3.11(a)
(“disclosure at the earliest feasible opportunity”); D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.8.
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CONCLUSION
For these reasons, the Defendants respectfully request that this Court compel the
government to respond promptly and fully to the Defendants’ discovery requests as set forth in
Respectfully Submitted,
___________________________
David Schertler (DC Bar # 367203)
Robert Spagnoletti (DC Bar # 446462)
SCHERTLER & ONORATO LLP
601 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
North Building, 9th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20004
Telephone: 202-628-4199
Facsimile: 202-628-4177
Email: dschertler@schertlerlaw.com
Counsel for Defendant Dylan M. Ward
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